Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to oven products and, more particularly, to oven rack assemblies having release mechanisms for releasing oven sub-frames and other components from oven liners.
Background Art
Various types of oven racks are well known in the industry. For example, steel wire oven racks are often manufactured from a steel rod which is drawn, so as to form steel wire. These oven racks formed of steel wire products can be coated with various types of materials. Also, oven racks and other oven-related articles can be manufactured from products other than steel. Of course, any type of oven rack or similar product which is positioned within an oven cavity during use must be capable of withstanding normal cooking temperatures which substantially exceed normal cooking temperatures. In addition, for ovens which employ self-cleaning cycles, the oven racks and other oven-related articles located within the oven itself must be capable of being subjected to and withstanding temperatures which substantially exceed normal cooking temperatures. For example, steel wire oven racks may be subjected to temperatures above 900° F. associated with self cleaning cycles, common in today's kitchen ovens.
One difficulty which has existed for a number of years in the industry relates to manipulation of oven racks. In many conventional ovens, the oven racks can be positioned at various vertically disposed positions, and be adjustable among the same. With the oven racks positioned as desired at various vertically adjusted locations, the oven racks often “slide” on ribs or roller bearing mechanisms positioned on the lateral sides of the oven cavity. These ribs, roller bearings or “ledges” may be separately manufactured and assembled components from the surfaces of the oven cavity and oven racks or, alternatively, may be integrated into the lateral surfaces of the oven cavity.
With respect to oven rack assemblies which can be extended, such rack assemblies traditionally fall within one of two types of applications. One particular application comprises an oven rack assembly which interacts directly with ribbed liners on the sidewalls of an oven interior. In a second application, the oven rack assembly interacts with a ladder frame connected to the sidewalls of an oven interior.
As an example, Barnes, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,813 issued Nov. 21, 2000, discloses a telescoping oven rack assembly for an oven cavity. The assembly includes a rack extendable upon a primary rack frame. In turn, the rack frame is mounted for sliding movement relative to the oven cavity. With this configuration, multiple extensions for the rack are available. The rack is supported upon guides carried by the rack frame, along with multiple sets of rollers. A secondary rack frame can be used to slidably support the primary rack frame, so that a further extension can be made.
Le, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,617 issued Sep. 6, 2005, discloses an oven rack assembly having full extension slides. The slides are mounted to an oven rack, and oven rack frames or wire racks provide full extension from an oven enclosure. The rack frame is mounted to oven walls or the slides are coupled to wire racks along the oven side walls. This patent discloses the concept of the user of ladder frames.
In accordance with the foregoing, it is known from the prior art to utilize items such as a subframe and/or attachable brackets for the slidable oven rack assembly. In these prior art configurations, the subframe may support the weight of items placed on the oven rack, and keep the assembly in place, relative to the ladder tracks or the ribbed liners. In prior art systems employing attachable brackets, the brackets provide a fixed connection between the oven rack and the ladder racks. However, for various purposes, including cleaning, repair and the like, it is advantageous to provide means for releasing the coupling between the subframe or brackets from the liners.
Still further, when manipulating the subframe, one difficulty which can arise is that the subframe may tend to tip away from a horizontal plane. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide means for preventing such undesired movement.